


Mashua Tadashi: Classified Weapons of the Cloud

by DifferentDeterminings



Category: Naruto
Genre: Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Kumogakure | Hidden Cloud Village
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29101464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DifferentDeterminings/pseuds/DifferentDeterminings
Summary: A Cloud village family is suspected of political fraud, which forced them to emigrate elsewhere. The family undergoes a new identity at the leaf village. Mashua becomes Takamitsu Montonobu, and he finds out why his family had bad relations with the Cloud village.





	1. Introduction: Genin Exams Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mashua Tadashi is disguised under the identity as Takamitsu Montonobu.

Mashua Tadashi had grown up different compared to other ninja in the cloud village. He and his siblings were homeschooled and the family lived off grid. At a young age, his mother had taught him advanced skills in stealth, trap-setting, and self defense. Mashua had a keen interest in Ninjutsu, often times picking up on his father's techniques. his father often used it more for utility than fighting. He was able to spot weld metal and cut down trees with precise concentrations of electric chakra, though those techniques were only a mere glimpse into his brilliancy.

In spars, his older sister Sukaretto would always find a way to beat him thanks to the family's kekkei genkai called the Kusakegro; a nervous system based effect which raised the frequency of cognitive function, resulting in the surrounding environment to drastically slow down and let the mind analyze. It is rumored that the ability lies within the eyes, but the eyes have many sensory inputs which begin to glow once under chakra amplification. It is simply an aesthetic byproduct of activating the jutsu, and no one has written down where it comes from. It was rumored to potentially become the "Sharingan" of the Cloud village, and that was enough to stir great controversy between the Fire and Lightning countries.

Mashua was permitted into the academy and graduated his first year, attending at age 10. He managed to bullshit the system by shocking the instructors (Almost literally) with chunin level jutsu, and managed to hide in a scavenger hunt exam against the entire student base. He single-handedly beat the previous concealment time by three hours, with a total of 7 hours, twenty-six minutes, and fifty three seconds. Where he lacked in book-sense, he made up for it in practical sense. He couldn't tell you the trajectory of a kunai at a 30º bank against 10 knot crosswinds. Instead, he would demonstrate the throw by hand per request brought up to the instructor. Mashua wasn't a dead-eye with tools, but he firmly grasped the concepts of the most commonly accessible ones.

Shortly after passing the academy exams, there had been unrest from the political agenda of the Cloud Village in regards to his father's crafts. Horiushi, Mashua's father, had been accused for tax evasion and was to be brought into custody for further evaluation. The situation escalated, and so Mashua with his sister and mother evacuated to the leaf village with prearranged false identities. Mashua was told that Uncle Daichi would handle his father's injustice made by the cloud village. From hence then, he was to always wear a mask, and go by the name Takamitsu Montonobu until life settled back home.

His mask resembled a dark mouth with teeth lining the outskirts, implying that the mask is meant to intimidate with its aesthetics. He from then always wore a gunmetal grey jacket over a black tshirt and dark trousers, tied at the hip and ankles. The jacket had a zipper down the middle and had accented a nearly oversized collar, refined by a near weightless metal alloy. Back to his face view, you could see the contrast between his attire and pale blue eyes. His skin complexion wasn't the lightest, but it was covered a lot by the outfit, headband, and his thick hair. Combs were not conventional, and often he needed a woman's hair brush to do the job right.

Mashua, now forever to be known as Takamitsu attended the Leaf's academy and was able to make a few more acquaintances than when back at the old village. The single instructor was a lot more talkative and less strict. There was a simple clone making test, and of course, Takamitsu had to show off. He settled for making two electric clones and had them run into each other, as to not disperse the chakra amongst other nin in the room. He then had to recite a bunch of Konoha's mantras involving the Will of fire, along with the general history and uprise through the years. 4 Hokages, origins of the trees, being true to your fellow comrades and the like.

While being accepted in, sadly from the academy, there weren't any spots available for him to partake in. His mother had a sigh of relief, but that simply meant train at home harder until he got accepted. And so, he grinded down over the next year. Finally, at age 11, Takamitsu was permitted to train with a team; consisting of Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten, led by Might Guy (Whom we all know and love and don't need a description of…)

"So you four want to be ninja I see?" Guy had a cocky grin with his left hand over his chin. "Well, I see one of two choices here. You must have it within yourself the desire to succeed no matter the odds."

"Yes Guy sensei!" Lee broke out. "I want to become the very best shinobi I can be, despite not using ninjutsu nor genjutsu!"

"And I seek to become strong in my own rights. I want to become a jutsu inventor like my father one day." Takamitsu said in a tone influenced by Lee's energy.

"Now, it's not enough to simply want to be a Shinobi of the fellow leaf. You must be willing to do whatever necessary in order to complete the mission, and potentially lay down your life for the sake of the village. Now, there are four of you, and unfortunately, squads may only consist of four shinobi as per the rule of efficiency of groups. With me included in the four, one of you will have to be eliminated."

"Oh, well this should be like throwing kunai into a barrel." Neji chuckled and peered for a split second at Takamitsu.

"Well, I wouldn't start boasting now Neji, or you just might find yourself sucking loser soup through a straw!" Guy flashed his iconic thumbs up and grin. "Now, Your first objective is a weapons test. Drive this kunai completely into the log-"

"Oh, so it's a test of sheer strength Guy sensei?"

"Quiet Lee, and let me finish. Drive your assigned kunai into the log by using other ranged weapons whilst behind this line."

"Wha- Sensei, are you crazy?" Tenten exclaimed.

"Why miss," Guy threw a kunai into one against the log and drove the lodged one slightly further in. "My head is well established on my shoulders. I'll give you four a minute headstart to do this, since I started early."

"Ha, is that all? Alright, let's do this!" Lee exclaimed.

The four rookie nin begun to face the challenge. Tenten, while dead accurate, didn't have the brute strength to initially drive in the kunai. Neji, took long pauses between his throws, debatingly over-analyzing how he was to throw in order to achieve great efficiency of attack. Lee simply chucked that Son of a bitch as hard as he could in hopes to drive in the Kunai like a hammer to a nail. On one of Lee's throws, Takamitsu was thankful that Lee's inaccuracy drove Takamitsu's Kunai half way into the wood. There were a few times that Lee's shot flew over the log and well into another tree.

"Thirty seconds!" Guy called out.

Takamitsu analyzed his teamates' diverse strategies, and saw Nejis to be the potentially more rewarding. Suddenly, Tenten drove the kunai in first, just as sensei called for time and he begun his turn, imitating Lee's strategy of yeetimus maximus. Takamitsu took one too many seconds to realize that Guy's kunais had reached terminal velocity, and were glowing hot from the air it was cutting through. Suddenly, an enormous clang was heard throughout the practice field, and Lee's kunai was burrowed completely through the trunk. Neji and Takamitsu's expression shared great similarity from shock.

"Yes Sensei, I did it!" Lee exclaimed.

"Hmph, that might have been a lucky shot, but I'm gonna be the next one to finish this!" And with that, Neji threw his kunai with seemingly more force than accuracy, and it bounced off the turf, ricocheting into the trunked kunai.

He still had the handle's length to go, and Takamitsu felt the pressure that Neji was applying. Takamitsu threw three more, all landing direct hits with less than a quarter of the handle to go.

"I will not be outclassed!" Neji yelled. After Takamitsu's last throw, Neji had a form of chakra explode from his hands upon release. Neji's kunai had a blue hue of chakra on it as it launched. It caught up quick, and was about to overtake Takamitsu's.

"Dy…...namic Entry!" And Guy Sensei prepared his hail mary as well, initiating 3 full rotations, holding on the word dynamic. On his release, there was a physical cannon shot, and which resulted in Guy's log to be obliterated from where it stood. But that was a split second after Takamitsu and Neji simultaneously finished third.


	2. Genin Exams Part 2

"Damn, I'd say I got pretty lucky there…" Takamitsu broke the eerie silence from the recent results from the first test.

"Hard to believe that I finished in fourth." Neji scoffed.

"What are you guys talking about? If you'd take the time to actually hit the target, you might have finished faster than me." Tenten mocked.

With a content look, Neji's ears started whistling from internalized rage.

"Alrighty folks, that was simply one of five of our shinobi tests for the day. Next up, we have a race." Guy cracked his knuckles and started lunging.

"Oh dear God no…" Tenten complained.

"With….. heavy weighted gear!" Guy shouted, simultaneously throwing four human weighted vests.

Neji, Tenten, and Takamitsu were thrown back by the inertia, and Lee was the only one to remain sturdy.

"Five full laps around the village!" Guy pumped his fist.

"He's gotta be absolutely insane…" Neji whispered under his breath. "The village in circumference is easily 30 kilometers."

"Did you just say thirty?" Takamitsu shouted.

"And better yet since I can't give directions, or keep up with everyone, each one of you will be assigned a ninja proctor to make sure that you don't cut the track. Doing so will result in immediate disqualification. Rules are as follows, remain on the track, and cross the finish line while wearing the vest. You have ten minutes to get ready."

"Five laps around the village is bad enough without the 150 kilo sack." Tenten Rolled out a blank scroll. "Which means that I'm going to have to go light."

"Hey Tenten, could you… stow my jacket in with those items if it's not too much of a hassle?" Takamitsu asked.

"Sure." She replied.

"Much appreciated." And with that, the race was about to be initiated.

"Lightning clone!" Takamitsu hand-signed and shouted. He gave the vest to his clone and Neji reacted with disgust.

"Guy Sensei, it is my dream goal to one day surpass you!" Lee exclaimed.

"Right then! Off to the wild blue yonder we go! On your marks, get set, GO!" As Guy shouted, the two green beans bolted off. Tenten and Neji kept a moderate jog. Takamitsu started off with a brisk run but wasn't going all out.

"No need for us to try and surpass them. I'd say we are fighting for third place." Neji commented to Tenten.

"Why? What about Takamitsu?" Tenten asked.

"I'm sure he'll burn out trying to find the pace of Lee and Guy sensei." Neji foresighted. "It's only a matter of overtaking him while he's exhausted to finish the job."

"So we're just gonna let him get away too then? Neither of us know hardly anything about him."

"And you took his jacket. Your point?" Neji was monotone.

"Only because he was polite." Tenten blushed. "And I'm not going to take chances when he's clearly jumped the gun on us by now."

"Hmmm…" Neji grumbled in distaste as Tenten picked up her pace.

_

"Man, I've gotten so far behind those two, the damn dust is settled by the time I'm getting to the dust of their trails." Takamitsu thought to himself. "If I'm gonna try and win this, I'll have to think of something unconventional that will set them back."

Takamitsu was impressed at the wildlife that surrounded him as he traversed on the pre-made trail.

"Good luck trying to catch those two Takamitsu." Tenten approached from a bit back, followed also by Neji. "In case you haven't found out, they're taijutsu freaks who will be dead-sprinting this task the whole way out."

"Interesting point, but I'm not slowing down until I know for a fact it is impossible to win." Takamitsu announced.

"Why do you think Neji and I didn't jump the gun like the other two?"

"You do have a point. And if you're right about them dead-sprinting the whole race, how about we three put the odds in our favor?"

"And just how do you plan on that?" Tenten was skeptical.

"Traps galore. It would make the race… More interesting." Takamitsu had a mischevious grin.

"How the hell are we gonna set up traps if they're in front of us?"

"We have laps Tenten. They have to come back around." Neji replied.

"Oh right! But slight problem, all of my tools are in the small sealed scroll in my front pocket. Re-establishing the jutsu would take nearly half an hour."

"How about you Neji? How are you for utility?" Takamitsu asked.

"Nothing much more than the basic necessities." Neji replied.

"Drat, as I think of it, all of my equipment is in the jacket…"

_

"So Sensei, if I'm correct, this challenge was specifically a bias to our specialties." Lee analyzed, keeping up with Guy.

"Why yes Lee, a bold observation." Guy hopped along. "Neji and Tenten know that they can't beat the mean and greens at their own game."

"And the next test will be a test where it lies in Neji's favor?"

"Right again Lee."

_

"Well, since we can't set up a trap in a timely manner, what would you suggest?" Tenten asked.

"Since there are hired nin watching us, we could simply shove them into cutting the track." Takamitsu saw ahead. "There is a sharp u-turn up ahead. If we can push them through the bushes, we can get them disqualified for cutting the course."

"But won't one of us get disqualified for going over with them?" Neji questioned.

"Last I checked, we don't identify as an attacking clone." Takamitsu pondered. "As another failsafe, I can leave the vest with the real me and argue that the vest remained on course should my clone not."

"That's pretty low of a tactic Takamitsu." Tenten replied.

"How's that low? Sensei didn't specify any other rules." Takamitsu swapped out his clone. "Now's the time, are we setting up an ambush or setting up a different gameplan?"

"I'm not at all for it." Neji passed Takamitsu. "And if you so much as even think about trying this on me, I won't go easy on you."

"You're right, it's only for the sake of a few points anyways…" Takamitsu had just prodded the moral instincts of his comrades, likely tarnishing a bit of his own in the process. Not only would the maneuver be a shot in the dark with high risk, but it likely would be, if successful, psychologically bad for the whole group. One thing was for certain, the leaf village held comradery to a much higher standard than the cloud village.


	3. Genin Exams Part 3

As expected, Guy and Lee consecutively finished first and second. Neji, Tenten, and Takamitsu had fallen a full lap behind. While Takamitsu was beginning to feel taxed from his chakra reserves, Neji and Tenten were feeling deficient from their physical state. Takamitsu had the clone hand him his vest, and he picked up the pace a quarter into the last lap.

"I'm not having him beat me again." Neji mumbled before dashing to catch up.

"I don't know where these guys get their second wind." Tenten didn't rush things forward like the others.

Takamitsu's heart was pounding fast, and he was really starting to feel the fatigue set in. A ways back, Neji was slowly closing in the gap. "I'm not going to beat him by brute force running alone..."

"Byakugan!" Neji announced, reading his opponent's vitals. "Ah yes, his chakra supplies are low. One last push near the finish line ought to seal the deal. And make sure he doesn't try to shove me out."

Neji's intense stare and vein swelled eyes was off putting to Takamitsu. Takamitsu tried countering the approach but Neji overtook him with a firm juke.

Takamitsu took a while to catch up to Neji's left and attempted to shove him off the track.

"Unbelievable for such a dirty attempt of tactics!" Neji nearly spat out.

"Ha! Come on Neji, I'm just adding a bit of variety to life." Takamistsu recovered a stable stance. "-to make things a bit less monotonous."

"Alright then, so be it! Gentle fist!" Neji plowed his palm into the side of Takamitsu's head. Takamitsu went cartwheeling toward the outside of the track.

"Geeze, at this rate, both you clowns will finish after the sun goes down." Tenten jumped over both nin and continued, psychologically teasing the other two.

_

The last two miles of the race were brutal. All three nin were in a full body sprint. Tenten held the first mile, but had become overtired and slowed pace. Neji and Takamitsu settled with a truce to stop fighting, caught up, and weaved around her at the outside of a sharp corner. Takamitsu was in close pursuit behind Neji. The terrain became rough at the last mile, but it was nothing new since they went through this for the fourth lap.

Takamitsu's internals were screaming. He was barely able to keep up. Takamitsu had no means of justifying a loss after coming all this way. He pushed himself with all of what was left of his strength and inched closer to Neji. Slowly… Slowly. He finally crossed the finish-line… Right behind Neji. Guy Sensei immediately sounded with praise to Neji for coming first between the three; yet third overall. Soon after, Tenten crossed the line, a lot less out of breath than the other two since she wasn't sprinting.

"Alright team, good job out there. Glad no one cut the track." Guy flashed a grin, momentarily lighting up his face, before the evening night consumed it. "And mind I say just in time for the third test."

"Sensei… Mind I request…" Takamitsu finally crashed to the ground still out of breath. "We've been running... for six straight hours… Could we take, a break… Or maybe sit down to eat or… Hugh!"

"I second that." Tenten collapsed in exhaustion.

"Hmph." Neji nodded in agreement as he shaved off the weighted vest.

"Guy sensei, it is only fair that we allow them a break much as how we've had one from the race." Lee intervened.

"While I've been thinking, it should be well known that in a life and death situation, fights among other shinobi, ninja, bandits, rogues, and even civilians, are never fair. But, for the sake of friendly competition, I'll allow us a break at Ichiraku Ramen." As Guy said this, the majority of the students perked up.

_

"One large serving of Ichiraku's specialty Yakitory Curry Ramen!" Ichiraku yelled slamming down the last meal to be served to Takamitsu.

"So you are a spice fanatic as well." Lee's tone of voice was inciting a challenge. "Then perhaps one day we will engage each other in battle of whom can endure the spiciest of foods."

"When it come's to food…" Takamitsu stuffed his mouth with a spoonful of the thick curry broth, initiating a ninjutsu which let the food items phase through his mask without it being let down. "Food is meant to be savored, and I hate competition over such delicate craftsmanship."

"Haven't you the manners not to talk with your mouth full?" Tenten scoffed.

"Haven't you the respect to enjoy something more than a light snack." Takamitsu playfully interjected. "And also to mention Lee, the social construct of sitting down together for a meal."

"You're saying that communication among others is an art form in itself?" Lee questioned.

"Think about it. This is one of the few times that people come together without obligation to a task, and to have free merit of expression." Takamitsu slurped up a piece of chicken. "It's something my family back at home always followed, and stuck to my head as an infant."

"What wise words from a young kid." Guy grinned. "And let's say once we're finished, we return to the practice fields for the next challenge."

"Yes Sensei!" the students synced up.

"And sensei, how many more challenges will there be?" Takamitsu asked.

"For the luck of it, we're down to two." He pulled out a dull blunt kunai with an explosive tag. "But this next challenge brings a bit of uniqueness to an old game of hot potato."

"You don't mean we're..." Neji had the right idea of what the challenge was going to be.

"Ah yes, the good old fashion game I used to play at your age. One spiced up variant of hot potato!" Guy had finished his food and in a quick like fashion, jumped from his seat to standing. "The rules are quite simple, don't get caught in the blast zone of the paper bomb when the time runs out."

"But sensei, isn't that a bit… dangerous to be playing with explosives like that?" Tenten argued against Guy's competition challenge.

"Why, yes it is Tenten. And I'm glad you asked too. For sometimes, we have to make the hardest of decisions if it means to carry out the mission or preserve the squad. On the rare occasion, you must act quickly to not be compromised, and choose who stays back or keep going, even if it means sacrifice. Not only is this a test of critical decision making. One also has the opportunity to eliminate multiple targets by throwing the kunai between them. A balance between morals and justification if you ask me." As Guy explained, Neji had a cold stare at Takamitsu.

Takamitsu was a bit busy eating to feel the holes being stared down the back of his head.

"Alright, everyone form up at the fifth practice field in twenty minutes. That will give Takamitsu a chance to finish his meal, as well as for me to prepare the next exam." And with a drop of currency on the table followed by a gust of wind, Guy sensei disappeared.


	4. Beginning the Daichi Era: Genin Exams Part 4

"So you're saying if I bring back the kid, you'll let my brother free." a middle aged pepper haired man replied to the negotiations of the council.

"We will declare his debts to be paid. You'll also have to bring back the daughter and his wife before we can negotiate any further." A man with a tan complexion and a silver ducktail for facial hair situated his shoulders in his oversized suit. He presented a stack of documents in a folder, and spread them out individually on the table. "After all, as depicted here, not doing so would breach your contract and would thereby risk the fellow safety of your brother."

"You don't have to keep reminding me." The middle aged man bit his tongue with a gritty tone.

"Then it's settled. We will provide you with the means only to capture the Tadashi Clan members. Much to your interest, we're to not have any fatalities from either side." The tan man cracked his knuckles and slammed his hands down on the desk, startling the elderly 6 men at the table. "You got that Daichi?"

"That's a tall order for a man such as I, who's inferior in combat skills." Daichi raised his thin rimed glasses with his index finger.

"So why is that my problem?"

"Persuasion alone will not convince the Tadashi family. The only option I see available is force."

"And by doing so, you'll start a war!" the Tan elder's complexion resembled insurmountable frustration. "Why do I have to spell it out for you? A kidnapping. Take one of the two siblings and the mother will come running. Leave a note for the last sibling and bingo, kid plays hero, and a full house is made. They aren't that well known to whatever village they're cooped up with, so if something happens to them, who's gonna care?"

"That still leave's me with no trace on where they're at."

"Your brother gave us nothing on when we interrogated him."

"Then let me talk to him! Surely he'd open up to his own brother!"

"Know your rank you simpleton!" And with that, the Elder shot chakra lightning from his hand and directly hit Daichi. Daichi flew back and hit a wall a body length's back. He coughed, regaining the air lost from his lungs.

"Now, if you're done wasting time, I'd get on that wild goose chase. They couldn't have taken the ship ports out because they're heavily guarded. They're not in the land of sound, frost, or hot water because we've received word of immigration to the southwest and they wouldn't dare hide close by. You be the judge of where to look next."

"Konohagakure…" Daichi shuddered.

"Tetsui, provide this man with one of the teleportation scrolls."

"In this scroll, once opened, you will have the choice between two entrapment specialists, or a hunting nin with a medical nin." Tetsui spoke with a thick colony accent. "You will have a 2 hour window of time once your choice is made, so use them wisely. This second scroll is for whom you capture, for it will summon a great hawk to carry the individual back to the village."

"Quit flabbing the yap and get him a move on!"

"My apologies Misseré Toyoharu." Tetsui handed the scrolls over and bowed to the elder.

With that, Daichi left the building and packed a backpack full of essentials for his travels. It was to be a long trip by foot, approximately 3 days at a modest pace. Konoha was a safe bet for outsiders, and with the recent mishap between the cloud and the Hyuga clan, it's no wonder Toyoharu was on edge with mishaps. But it begs to wonder why he would allow some random individual to go on a kidnapping mission with what was at stake. Could it be that the cloud village electives are trying to tie up loose ends? Or is there a trust factor to test with Daichi?

_

The third exam was about to begin. Everyone was alert, eyes peeled, and in focused stances.

"Alright, let me go over the rules before we begin." Guy stood upright and held up his right hand. "Number 1, the paper bomb cannot be cooked. You only have one second to throw the item before I disqualify you from the round. Number two, if the tag blows up before potentially reaching the target person, the thrower is out. Number three, should the tag end up out of the circumference, the ninja who it passed between are responsible for keeping it in play. This means there is potential for a double elimination. In an addition to rule number three, the first to touch the object will be responsible if it detonates before passing it off. Rule number 4, you may not consecutively target the same person, the exception being against three or less people. And I think that should cover everything."

Guy spawned a rubber tip kunai, lit the paper bomb, and chunked it Takamitsu's way. He blocked it with a different kunai in his hand. Takamitsu swiped it left to Lee. Lee's facial expression looked highly stressed and handed off to Tenten. She then threw it back to Takamitsu and Takamitsu chunked it hard at Neji. Neji used gentle fist to redirect the object toward Guy. Guy had just in time passed it to Lee before the fuse went off. A loud and bright pop permitted more of a blinding effect rather than a blast radius.

"Guy sensei, I thought these were the full fledged paper bombs, as written on the sheet?" Tenten questioned.

"Ah yes Tenten. But you see, there needed to be the added flavor of quick thinking under great stress. A shinobi's no good if they choke up on high intensity situations such as this.

"I'm sorry guy sensei, could you speak up?" Lee had rubbed his eyes from being concussed.

Guy then repeated his sentence in a humorously loud fashion, potentially shaking the ground and alerting anyone within a couple hundred yards.

"Four left, and there's still potential for two of us to be outed. Remember that." Guy lit the next paper bomb. "HYA!"

Tenten was the first to receive the 'hot potato' and high lobbed it to Neji. The hang time easily burnt out half of the tag. Neji darted it toward Takamitsu. Takamitsu caught it off balance and chucked it between Guy and Neji. Neither Neji nor Guy hesitated to grab for the catch. Guy's speed was superior for catching it, but alas, it was seemingly in self sacrifice as it went off milliseconds after he caught it.

FWASH went the paper bomb, and Guy's hands and face were slightly sun-burnt.

"Well well, we now have three left!" Guy yelled over the ringing in his ears. "I really should have considered the decoy bombs!"

"Consider yourself lucky for making it this far Takamitsu," Neji prepared a gentle fist stance. "But your luck is about to run out. Byakugan!"

Neji's stare was amplified in intensity as veins begun bulging out the side of his head. Tenten was handed the next paper bomb to light and threw it at Takamitsu first. Takamitsu relished the challenge offered by Neji. The next few seconds started resembling the equivalent to an intense pingpong match. Neji and Takamitsu both focused solely on one another, reacting instinctively to each others returns. Takamitsu could barely keep up. There were moments where he had to use his body to stop the kunai. Thank the major ruling deity that the object was dull, otherwise, the bruising would have instead became deep-cut wounds.

"Eight trigrams, Two palms!" Among the kunai, chakra had engulfed the tip and bounced more quickly off of Takamitsu. "Four Palms, Eight Palms!"

It was then the wind had been completely knocked out of Takamitsu. He felt the kunai being redirected at him instantaneously as it bounced off of multiple points of him. Takamitsu had about given up, as the only edge he might have had was being hyper focused on the timing of the paper bomb's fuse. Neji had then performed sixteen palms, but no more than ten at once could connect. The last few connections initiated severe tunnel vision, as he was pelted to the ground. Takamitsu instinctively shielded one last hit with his kunai, and it redirected toward Neji. Neji reacted in wide eyed shock, as the light filled the practice arena. Wide eyed, and in use of the Byakugan, Neji had caved back in agony from being blinded.

While Takamitsu may have barely won the battle, ultimately, the bomb hadn't quite reached Neji, and so Takamitsu was disqualified, placing third for the match. Neji was slow to recover, and Tenten waited on Neji before beginning the last match.

"Agh, I can't see out of the fronts of my eyes! Byakugan or not!"

"Oh shit, I didn't permanently blind him, did I?" Takamitsu thought.

"Even if Neji would have had his eyes closed, the Byakugan still would have been affected regardless of direction." Tenten reassured Takamitsu, seeing the distraught in which reflected from what happened to Neji.

"Hmph. I think I'll be fine. I can somewhat see out of my peripherals, but this won't be easy." Neji stood up after the immediacy of pain subsided. "I just can't look directly at the kunai is all."

"You ready?" Tenten asked.

"About as much as I'll be." Neji's tone didn't sound confident.

"Right, let's finish this!" Tenten set up the tag's fuse, and lobbed it high. Neji hesitated on it's trajectory, and shouldered out of the way for it to hit the ground before picking it up to throw.

Tenten caught the throw and threw it sharply upward. From Takamitsu's perspective, the slow rate of horizontal movement combined with the slow peak of the arc enabled the tag to burn more quickly. Neji caught wind of it's trajectory, caught the kunai, and arced it in a high fashion, mimicking Tenten's strategy. Tenten had to jump forward because wind cut the arc shorter than intended.

"Finally, my eyes are beginning to clear up!" Neji said as Tenten didn't hold back on her next throw. Neji was plowed with a direct hit to the headband. He fell back as the paper bomb kunai bounced away from him. Takamitsu had conceptualized that Neji wasn't able to recover to throw back the item, and ran in front of him before it would go off. From Neji's perspective, he couldn't avoid the direct flash even if he wanted to. Takamitsu dived with his back turned to the flash just in time. Neji wouldn't be as heavily affected by this thanks to the intervening moment. Takamitsu landed slopily on the ground, chuckling alongside the rest of the group.

"Looks like Tenten yet again takes first place!" Guy exclaimed. "This kunoichi is a prime example of how one deliver's their pride of youth from themselves to the tasks at hand!"

"I know we're not even Neji, but would you mind us still potentially being comrades?" Takamitsu was sincere, dusting off himself.

"You've got a lot to dig yourself out of, but… It's a start." Neji acknowledged Takamitsu's act of kindness. "But don't expect me to let up any, if that's what you're trying to do."

"Not at all. In fact, I like it when someone can kick my ass every once in a while. Gives me a reason to keep trying harder." Takamitsu lent out a hand to help him up. Neji politely declined and stood up on his own.

"As I said, you'll still have to climb." Neji was in a tone sense, reassuring.

"Well thought Neji!" Guy interveaned. "And climbing is just what we're going to do for our last exam for the night!"

"Oh Lord sensei, what is it now? Climb the hokage tower fif-" Suddenly Takamitsu was silenced by both Neji and Tenten.

"HA! If only we didn't have to deal with recreational curfew." Guy grinned. "But instead our last part of the exam is a climbing race. First four up who scale the Hokage mountainside will make the team."

"Wait, so all that we did previous was for nothing?" Tenten had an angry tone.

"Not exactly, as I have been keeping score." Guy revealed a piece of paper with crudely drawn numbers and chicken scratch.

Ten 1st-5 5th-1 1st-5 11

lee 2nd-4 2nd-4 5th-1 10

guy 5th-1 1st-5 4th-2 8

Nej 4th-2 3rd-3 2nd-4 9

Tak 3rd-3 4th-2 3rd-3 8

"It seems to me Tenten that you have enough points that you don't need to participate." Lee drew a late conclusion, seeming overfocused on the numbers provided.

"Oh thank Kame." As she said that, she cushioned her collapse near a tree.

"And I'll have to beat Neji if I want to tie…" Takamitsu internally groaned.

"We do tend to meet neck and neck with these." Neji replied.

"Alright sensei, what are the rules this time?"

"Rules to this challenge are simple. Don't defile the faces and don't fight while climbing."

"That it?" Takamitsu prodded. "Alright! Let's power-throw this sourdough!"

"I wonder what he's got in mind?" Guy pondered. "Anywho, let's meet up at the bottom of the cliffside in ten!"


	5. Genin Exams Part 5

"Tenten, will you do the honors?" Guy, was in a stance ready to run.

"On your mark... get set," Her tone was quite uninterested with the challenge. "Wait a second, do I say the action being performed or do I just say go?"

On instinct, Takamitsu jumped out first, which startled the other three. Tenten couldn't help but laugh as the other three stumbled after him on the startup. Takamitsu formed a rapid-fire display of handsigns, before facing his left palm open toward the ground beneath him. His right hand stabilized his wrist.

"Lightning style, large seeker's bolt!" And with that Takamitsu launched himself upwards with his running momentum combined with a release of chakra from his hands., This maneuver ended up throwing him 20 feet higher for starting the long climb.

Guy and Lee simply ran straight up the mountain, between a 70-110º incline. Takamitsu's jaw hit the rock as he felt in comparison as a mere crawl of a pace. Neji was about thirty feet behind Takamitsu, but was catching up. Takamitsu was completely improvising a technique for climbing. He relied on the majority of his gripping strength from the focused chakra control on his hands. Takamitsu's arms screamed out as he swung outward to maybe utilize momentum upward on the 100º incline. It was shortly after establishing footing over that difficult obstacle that he looked downward, and saw as though the ground beneath was d beneath a haze.

"You going to sit there all day Takamitsu?" Neji retorted in frustration, now a few feet beneath the pondering nin.

"Don't look down." Takamitsu chanted to himself. "Focus your chakra and don't look down."

It was at this moment that Takamitsu realized his fear of heights was overcoming his thought process. No means of self convincing helped him. Adrenaline and panic like a genjutsu engulfed him, and he stood still. It was a good thing that Neji was at the moment beneath him, otherwise, Takamitsu surely would have lost.

"If it's going to be like that fine! What kind of shinobi has a fear of heights?" As Neji yelled, he leaped left, sliding a bit of a ways as the rocks were giving out underneath him. Like a cat scrambling out of a tub of water, Neji was scrambling to gather footing. Time had slowed in Takamitsu's mind, and he could see the rocks beneath Neji almost floating as he fought against his opposition with nature. Suddenly, the ground around Takamitsu was beginning to oscillate.

"Was this an earthquake happening!?" Takamitsu internally screamed. The cliffside went from slow pulsing to sharp triangular snaps. For mere milliseconds, his hands had lost contact with the wall, and he was beginning to motion similar to Neji. Guy's expression had slowly begun to shout. With a low, garbled pitch-shifted fashion, Guy's lips begun to move.

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuut ooo-" After a quick registry, Takamitsu clawed to the right as the landmass he was climbing vigorously broke up. Neji was well safe as he finally caught footing on a solid rock which was jutted outward. Takamitsu observed the shock of the two green bean machines as the whole wall begun collapsing. The rockslide slowed even more as Takamitsu's mind felt more focused than ever with every muscle of his that moved. The rock jutting outward to the left sounded like cheap tin being beaten by many people with metal baseball bats. Though Takamitsu was aware of his surroundings, his physical reactivity was greatly slowed, to such a point he felt like he was moving through quicksand.

"This feeling… this essence of clarity within the chaotic situation I'm in. Could this… Could this be the-" And as Takamitsu lost his concentration, his hands were forcefully separated by an enormous frontal blast. He was flung off the cliffside.

"Aww, son of a-" As Takamitsu yelled out, his body was flung at a fast diagonal rate into a bunch of trees. The rest of team guy quickly scrambled.

_

"A premature blast in the mines from the Hokage rock eh? So tell me, Guy, why are we having this conversation at 2:30 in the morning? Why are these post academy students up at midnight still taking your... exams? And why did you deem it appropriate to mountain climb a national monument of the Konoha village as an appropriate means of testing said students skills?"

"Sir Sarutobi, it was my intention to see just how far the students were willing to push themselves for the challenges which presented themselves." Guy kneeled with a saddened look on his face. "Climbing the mountainside was a quick test that I made, and I was sure it would be a fair exam for the potential tiebreaker between the Hyuuga Prodigy and the newcomer."

"All this over settling a tiebreaker…" Sarutobi took one deep huff of his tobacco pipe. "You're going to need one hell of a better backstory for the Tadashi family than that you know."

"That was one hell of a puncture wound." A medical nin approached the hokage and guy. "A bit of scarring on his chest and right lung, but he should make a full recovery in a month."

"My gosh. When we handed him to you, he was legally swiss cheese."

"Technically, Swiss cheese doesn't have a heartbeat. But if the trees weren't there to support his fall, his egg would have been scrambled." The medical nin smiled.

"How far did you say this kid fell?"

"A couple hundred feet easy."

"Then consider it a blessing from the deities above that he's still with us." Sarutobi leaned in his chair, paused for a moment, and quickly inserted the next acknowledgment. "And of course, the professional medical nin with their years of experience to help situate the boy."

"Guy, I don't want something like this to happen so long as I remain Hokage." A chilling wind blew through the windows with ironic foreshadowing.

"Lord Hokage, I would like to Vouch for Guy as one of the proctors who overviewed the exam process." Kakashi stepped in through the door.

"Go ahead, but I've made up my mind on what I'm going to do about this situation."

"No worries Kakashi, no matter the cause or punishment, the green beast of the leaf shall prevail once more."

"Might Guy, take a break." As Sarutobi stated this, the room was filled with disbelief and shock. "Might Guy, I'm instating this so you can take appropriate time to reflect on your previous actions. This means no squad training, no personal training, and no assigned ninja duties until further notice."

"I… Understand…" Guy murmured with a defeated tone. He turned and left the office, slumped over.

"I'm not one who wants to question your judgement lord Hokage, but I would like to know why it had to be to this degree?" Kakashi pondered as he saw his comrade leave.

"I need him to keep his charisma in check." Sarutobi gathered two books from his desk. "While initially, it wasn't as bad before, now he's begun threatening those around him. And in this case, he nearly killed this kid and may have brought forth a major lawsuit against the economy of our village."

"Then how about I take his students up from him while he's out? It may give him a bit less of a burden to worry about his students."

"All I'm to say is good luck Kakashi. They'll be a handful thanks to their conditioning under Guy."

"Conditioning is indeed a funny word."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hmph, and to think with him not around I was almost growing fond of our fourth team member." Neji sat, observing Tenten's approach of arcing a kunai laterally through spin.

"Oh look, the mystical genius has a soft spot for the guy." Tenten chuckled with a short break of focus from her training.

"Funny thing coming from the girl who refuses to give back his jacket."

"Hey, last time I tried showing up, his mom was rattling the building scolding him!" Tenten retorted.

"Why didn't you just wait it out?"

"I did Neji, for half an hour."

"And speaking of waiting, where is Kakashi?" Neji bickered.

"469! Perhaps he was busy with other assignments." Lee inputted, whilst doing pushups.

"Or he's yet to wake up from his nap." Tenten grumbled.

"Why, what would make you think I was taking a nap?" Kakashi intervened, showing up perched on a nearby tree, holding in his right hand an icha icha novel.

Kakashi then followed up with team-building exercises, which in the long game seemed unnecessary since there was already a strong mental bond with Team Guy. Kakashi then worked on Taijutsu training with Tenten, and water-walking with Lee, who only managed to do so when he was running at a break-neck pace. The team had a quick lunch followed by a spar whilst over the water. Neji held close range engagement while Tenten fired off ranged attacks from land, and Lee had a clumsy hit and run tactic. Over all, they had decent coordination, but had plenty of ways to improve form.

_

"So, when can I get back to training?" Takamitsu asked the nurse.

"Seems like we can have you released by late next week." The nurse elevated the patient's head to replace a pillow, and then proceeded to document IV fluid levels.

"Aww come on! The worst of my injuries were patched up a week ago." Takamitsu complained.

"Sustaining impalement to the chest the size of an arm is not something fixed in a week."

"But you see, the patch job here did wonders for me." Takamitsu begun beating the portion of his chest that was previously perforated. He received a disappointed look from the nurse and she left the room soon after. "Of course, sis's rounds of medical ninjutsu couldn't have done better for me."

"Can't you keep from disturbing the staff for once?" The familiar voice perked Takamitsu's ears. His sister, Sukaretto showed in her gray hoodie, similar to what Takamitsu used to wear. It wasn't a clan trademark, more or less, it was an economical statement, as the family bought their outfits in bulk, being the same style and color, and varying in size to each member.

"And when's that kunoichi gonna give you back your jacket huh?" She teased.

"Last time she came by mom was giving me an earful. And there's nothing between us for the last time!" Takamitsu sat forward with a frustrated tone. Sukaretto applied one last touch of medical ninjutsu to his wounds, but couldn't figure how to manage the scar tissue. Ultimately, she reinforced the bone, and left the scar tissue as it was.

"I think that's all I can do." Sukaretto released her ninjutsu and laid back Takamitsu to the bed again. "They're only being cautious because they don't want liability for you injuring yourself fresh out of the hospital… Though, they are right to be concerned and curious of your 'speedy recovery'".

"So you're saying I can go out and train right now?"

"Oh... more or less yes." Sukaretto eyed the door. "I'll even help sneak you out if you'll get your jacket back from 'you know who' first"

"Aww come on, stop teasing me sis!" Takamitsu shouted.

"You're right you're right. So tell me what's she like? What's her eye color? Does she have aspirations to become a formidable fighter of the village? Or does she have motives to become a medical nin? I could teach her and she could become my apprentice and-"

"Blah blah BLAH! For pete's sake, I could care less about relationships right now. The only thing I want is to get out and train!"

"Just trying to keep the mind off the past… It wasn't four months ago since you was pulling pranks and gawking over that one kunoichi from the cloud village market, or accidentally shocking yourself with your first successful lightning clones. Now it's only a matter of time before you get hurt on your next m-."

"Sis, you're monologuing again." Takamitsu paused her portion of the conversation. "And I'm going to get my jacket back on my own merit -thank you."

_

Over the next few days, Takamitsu fails to bring up the question regarding his belongings, and Daichi begins his detective works among finding his family members. Konoha was in his sense a long-shot idea backed only by the process of elimination. But, if the Tadashi clan wasn't in Konoha, that was going to make finding the clan exponentially more difficult. Daichi didn't know whether to feel content or bitter from what he had to do. In a merchant's disguise, he entered the village hidden in the leaves without raising notice from the patrolling guardsmen or animals.

From there, he begun gathering intel from various shops, all of which left the residents of the village more confused than clear. There was no known trace of the Tadashi clan living among the Leaf village from the commoners perspective. All he had to go on was past experience with the family members, and the personality tendencies of his niece and nephew. Daichi also couldn't make a pattern of going through all the shops, as his lines of travel would be questionable to the surveying ninja in the city, with the exception of "establishing business-talk" with the managers and shopkeepers.

Daichi had made zero progress in his search. He concluded that he would either find an efficient route through random chance, or by hiring a thug scout or hitman. So while looking around other villages, he would have to have those he hired back-trace his steps.


End file.
